Hook Heath Residents' Association

Conservatives plan Council Tax hike!

Surrey County Council is proposing a Council Tax rise of 2.99%. It is said that the extra is for more primary school places. However elsewhere on the internet it is claimed that primary school places are not funded out of the Council Tax. What is going on? If you know more about this please contact us.

Gas mains work in Hook Heath Road

Following on from the work last year to renew the gas mains in Wych Hill and Hook Heath Avenue, the next phase of the work is scheduled to commence in May 2012. The areas affected will be Hook Heath Road from the junction with Cedar Road to the junction with Sun Hill, and all the roads to the south and east of this line.

The aim is to replace the old iron 4 inch mains with new plastic ones, and to replace the smaller bore pipes serving individual houses. The only exceptions will be those recently built houses that have a plastic gas pipe rather than metal one at the point of entry into the house.

Core Strategy Developments

Andrew Seaman has been appointed as the independent inspector to examine the soundness of the Woking Borough Council's Local Development Framework Core Strategy. The lengthy document, together with supporting documentation, including submissions by HHRA and residents, was filed with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government shortly before Christmas.

A pre-hearing procedural meeting will be held at the WBC's Council Chamber on Thursday 9 February at 2pm with the full hearings scheduled to commence on Tuesday 20 March at the same venue at 10.00am

Kineton Proposal Rejected

Plans to erect a block of twelve flats in place of Kineton, a locally listed building in Holly Bank Road, have been rejected by Woking Borough Council's planning committee. Councillors voted unanimously to reject the plan, which had been recommended for approval by WBC's planning department.

Local resident and HHRA member, Terry Oakley, addressed the meeting as did local Councillor for St John's and Hook Heath, Graham Cundy, who made an impassioned plea for the approval recommendation to be overturned.

The proposal was rejected on the grounds that the block of flats was not a suitable replacement for a locally listed building, that it failed to reflect the special character of the area, the mass and bulk of the structure would be inappropriate and it would create an undesirable precedent for future development.

HHRA chairman Jean Dare declared: "The committee's decision is important for the future of Hook Heath as an Urban Area of Special Residential Character. It also demonstrates the value of HHRA in maintaining a watchful eye on issues that could have an unwelcome impact on this area. My thanks to local residents for the support they gave to the HHRA in opposing this plan: WBC received 156 letters of objection."

FLOODLIGHTING PROPOSAL REFUSED

The recommendation by the WBC planning department to refuse permission to increase the number of floodlit courts was upheld by the planning committee on the basis of impact on the neighbourhood and detrimental impact on neighbouring properties, particularly Columbyne House and Ardennes. Another important factor was a statement by the committee when approving the previous application for additional floodlighting to the effect that any future application of this kind would not be viewed favourably.

Local resident and HHRA member, Kevin Farquharson, spoke against the plan, as did Cllr Graham Cundy. The committee voted to refuse the application by a substantial majority.

The committee noted that the applicant had not presented any evidence of need for additional lighting, nor in support of the claimed low impact on neighbouring properties.

HHRA Chairman, Jean Dare would like to thank all those residents who wrote letters of objection and particularly commends the small group who took the initiative in commissioning a professional assessment of the proposed lighting scheme and its impact on neighbours.

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